


Friction and Collision

by bravinto



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Beer, Dancing, Gen, Karaoke, M/M, Pool & Billiards, fav uncle tendo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 12:44:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3327419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravinto/pseuds/bravinto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt and Hermann enjoy a fun night out in the city when they are challenged by fellow Shatterdomers</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friction and Collision

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parasitebeans](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=parasitebeans).



> I have decided to put my Secret Santa fic on AO3 as well

It was only supposed to be a fun night out with beer and karaoke, Newt thinks miserably as he is trailing behind Hermann. Newt dragged his nemesis out of the laboratory, - it’s cold and Hermann was huddled in his giant parka (this shouldn’t be as  cute as it is, this shouldn’t!), - and into a shabby bar near the gulf, to drink some Weissbier, sing [_Marmor, Stein und Eisen Bricht_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFYjMyrVddQ) (haha) and other homesick nonsense (“Why are you suddenly so patriotic, Newton, if I remember correctly, you grew up in America” – “Einmal Deutscher, immer Deutscher, dude!!”) , and just generally be good Germans.

(It should be mentioned that Newt did NOT expect the bar in the goddamn _Vladivostok_ to have any German backing tracks besides Rammstein, and Rammstein, however clever, is really hard to sing. Therefore, he had a lot of instrumental tracks of classy songs on a USB  - including [_Die Biene Maja_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-mCm7V7Jxo), which he knows for a FACT that Hermann knows and loves; - and planned to bribe the DJ into playing. It is a Tuesday night, after all, that they decided to take their day off.)

What he wanted was to get drunk and talk in his mother tongue and laugh really loudly, and maybe do something stupid, like kiss Hermann or invite him to dance, or literally anything else to push them off their stagnation point where they have been poised, it seems, indefinitely. He’s been trying to do it for ages, but never could bring himself in the familiar and constant routine of the lab and the busy, never changing rhythm of the Shatterdome. He was hoping that, perhaps, the altered state of mind in an alien environment, face to face with Hermann, with no math or entrails getting in the way, he could do it.

This seems to be working, they bleated happily to _[99 Luftballons](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfPTC7-wCL8)_ and had a heated conversation about _[Das Rote Pferd](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxOQEoTHgFE)_ (“I am NOT singing _Das Rote Pferd_ ” – “You are clearly not drunk enough, here, have some more”) until he hears an unmistakable giggling and sees two familiar faces on the other side on the room, young Mako Mori is whispering something mischievous into Tendo-fucking-Choi’s ear and Tendo laughs and looks at them and there’s a devilish grin on his face. Oh crap, Newt thinks, because he knows all his plans will be promptly razed to the ground.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here,”  says Tendo, approaching, and Newt cringes, because ugh no. “Our brave K-science division! Good evening, gentlemen!”

 ___

“How about a game of Russian pyramid, guys?” Tendo asks.

Soon enough Newt and Hermann find themselves invited to the next room, where darts and billiard tables are set – yeah, those giant Russian tables, “no tiny American pool tables here, kid”, to quote Alexis Kaidonovsky, one time at the epic, monstrous party in his and Sasha’s apartment out in the city.

“What if we make it a challenge?” Mako says.

“What challenge?” Newt asks, feeling cold dread spread through him.

Hermann and challenge do not mix well.

“You and Doctor Gottlieb against me and Tendo”, Mako’s smile is sweet but also dangerous. “If you win, we will sing a song of your choice!”

“And if we lose?”

“You two will dance to a song of our choice”.

“We will not lose”, Hermann says, eyes sparkling. “Challenge excepted”.

“We will see about that!” promises Mako.

“Oh, great!”, Newt exclaims, because it is bad.

Not just because Hermann was played like a child into this, but also because they had to make it into a competition, meaning that Hermann will fight to the death, the guy can’t stand losing; and also because now Newt kind of wants to lose. 

They break the pyramid and begin the game. Mako is good and Tendo is even better, but Hermann – who could have thought – is damn brilliant. Newt, on the other hand, is abysmal, partly because he’s always been, and this table is too fucking huge, not everybody here is a giant! The other reason is that Hermann is way too beautiful and adorable, in his ‘casual outfit’: dark blue jeans and a huge plaid shirt (he is probably going for a lumberjack style but he really looks like a beardless sysop nerd). He is leaning over the table with his strange, angular grace; his eyes shine with competitiveness, and his cheeks are pink with three beers he’s had. He takes aim, stills, and – BAM! – scores some more for their team.

 ___

 “How are you so good at it? Why haven’t you told me you are a cue games champion? Why have I never seen you play it?!” Newt asks when they are having a beer break (lemonade for Mako, even though Newt has a suspicion that Tendo might let her try some when nobody is looking, this is his role of a favourite uncle. We all need an adult to be our friend and teach us how to drink and how to deal with assholes and how to play billiards when we are sixteen).

“I am playing for the second time in my life, Newton”, Hermann says, insufferably smug.

Tendo’s hands fly up to his hair in despair. He probably didn’t expect team nerds to put up any resistance – they are winning (not thanks to Newt,   _he_ does quite live up to expectations).

“What’s the secret, champ?” Tendo asks.

“Coriolis”, Hermann answers.

What a nerd, what a goddamn nerd, Newt thinks with a swell of fondness,  it is amazing.

“This Coriolis guy wrote a paper on the physics of billiards”, he explains to Tendo and Mako who exchange looks of disbelief.

“I happened to read _‘Mathematical Theory of Spin, Friction and Collision in the Game of Billiards’_ ”, Hermann says. “This is all just math”.

And naturally, Hermann is great at math. As much as Newt fails, deliberately or not, they still win. He clangs glasses with Hermann pathetically. 

“Congratulations, gentlemen!” Tendo says. “So, what’s our penalty song?”

He and Mako both look genuinely upset, _and they should be_ , Newt thinks bitterly. He tries to come up with the sappiest song for them to sing, and it should be long, too, so that their torture would last. 

“How about ‘ _[Dance Me to the End of Love](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pA5UhNaYw0)_ ’?” Hermann suggests out of the blue.

They migrate back to the  main floor where several mid-week frequenters are singing old Russian navy songs, and ask the DJ in the mixture of English and broken Russian to put on Leonard Cohen. Newt and Hermann order more beer and watch Tendo and Mako get to the microphone and stumble over the lyrics at first, falling in and out of tune. They are giggling and trying way too hard. Newt can feel Hermann’s gaze from time to time, and it makes him feel jittery, - the song is sappy, after all. Maybe it is the slow rhythm, maybe it is the fifth beer, or maybe this whole night has been an emotional roller-coaster, and he is just so desperate, but he says:

“This song is very long”.

“Yes”, Hermann says, and it sounds like a question.

“Dance me?” Newt suggests, just like that, turning to him and offering his hand.

“To the end of… it”, Hermann smiles and takes it, and they swirl.

In the background Newt can see Tendo shaking Mako’s hand. Newt probably should, too, but he forgets about it before he has a chance: the song is so damn long and Hermann is so damn close.


End file.
